Boys prep coach of the year: Carlsbad coach has three-straight years of pool dominance

CARLSBAD -- Just like every other red-blooded human, the laws of
physics apply to J.B. Feaster. He doesn't have the power to walk on
water, and he can't miraculously turn it into wine, either. But
that doesn't necessarily mean Feaster isn't a godly figure in San
Diego County when it comes to water sports.

A breakdown of why: One school year. Two CIF Division I San
Diego Section championships as coach of Carlsbad High's boys water
polo and swimming teams. Three straight years -- including this
year -- he has accomplished that impressive feat.

That kind of magic is why Feaster has been named the Boys Prep
Coach of the Year by the North County Times.

"I'm totally appreciative and humble about the whole thing,"
Feaster said. "Just to be on this streak that we're on, I'm just
enjoying this whole thing right now."

Feaster has every reason to relish during this period of triumph
because, after all, it was 16 long years before he won his first
section championship.

"It's pretty amazing that I coached all those years without ever
winning a championship," said Feaster, whose championship streak in
swimming is actually four years running. "To win one is pretty
special, and a lot of people don't have that opportunity to win a
championship. To win seven (in three years) is just sort of
mind-boggling."

Something else to induce raised eyebrows is the dominance with
which Carlsbad's two boys aquatic squads captured their respective
championships this year. Feaster's water polo team rampaged through
the playoffs, outscoring its four opponents by a combined score of
69-10. His swimming team had already claimed the section Division I
title after the prelims and compiled 347 points, a full 167 ahead
of second-place Fallbrook.

Feaster's success in water polo during the past four years can
be partially attributed to an age-group program -- his creation --
that filters talent through Carlsbad's program. But he realizes
that it isn't merely talent that wins championships, which is why
he puts a premium on teamwork.

The ability to employ that concept especially showed this year,
as the Lancers entered the season after losing nine seniors to
graduation. A new starting lineup that returned just one starter
from the year before was in the pool, which meant little team
chemistry. Nobody expected Carlsbad to make a third-straight title
run.

Feaster, however, had his guys buying into the system.

"Our team wasn't just one dominant player, it was a lot of
players we could rely on," said all-CIF senior Harrison Dwelley.
"He knew how to make it so that we can work as a team. Feaster did
a great job molding us into the team that we were, leading us to
win the championship."

Though swimming is regarded as being an individual sport,
Feaster also finds a way to incorporate his same philosophy,
especially when the playoffs roll around.

"To me, swimming is a big team sport also because your
individual performance is reflective of how the team is going to
do," Feaster said. "The team aspect of swimming really shows when
it comes time for CIF because we get them into a mindset going into
the prelims about using everyone's energy. It becomes this big ball
of energy that everyone feeds off of."